Tina Kramos Named Illinois State Softball Head Coach

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan announced Sunday evening that longtime Redbird softball assistant coach Tina Kramos has been named the program's new head coach. Kramos, who has served as the program's Senior Associate Head Coach since 2017, is beginning her 23rd season as member of the ISU softball staff and first as head coach.

"We are incredibly excited to have Tina lead our softball program into its next era," Illinois State Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan said. "Tina has been an integral part of the program's success over the past 20-plus seasons and will continue to hold up the high standards that have been set for Redbird softball. In her time on staff, she has recruited and mentored some of the best in the program's history and we know that will only continue with her leading the way as head coach."

Kramos has helped manage every aspect of the softball program, while also being the third-longest tenured coach at Illinois State. She has consistently shown an ability to coach the Redbird hitters and outfielders into some of the finest in the Missouri Valley Conference, and now looks to lead the Redbirds back to the top of the MVC standings.

"I would like to thank President Kinzy, Kyle Brennan, Leanna Bordner and Melinda Fischer for the opportunity to serve Illinois State University and Redbird Softball as its next head coach," Kramos said. I am truly honored and humbled to lead such an amazing group of young women as we continue to build on the tradition of winning on the field, in the classroom and in our community."

As an assistant coach at ISU, Kramos has coached three All-Americans (Amber Smith - 2006; Kara Nelson - 2007, 2010; Abby Olson - 2010), and played a large role in then-freshman Kara Nelson earning the 2007 Valley Player of the Year Award, the first time in conference history that a freshman had that award bestowed upon her. Nelson went on to claim a second MVC Player of the Year honor in 2011 under Kramos' guidance, while catchers Elizabeth Kay won the award in 2013 and Jordan de los Reyes won the award in 2017.

Kramos has also mentored 10 NFCA All-Region selections since 2017, one of them this past season when Emme Olson earned First Team All-Region honors. During the 2022 season, Olson and junior Dayna Kennedy thrived at the plate under Kramos' tutelage. Olson earned a spot in the Redbird record book with 16 single-season doubles, which is fifth in program history, and Kennedy hit a team leading 12 home runs, the most by a Redbird player since de los Reyes hit 19 in 2017.

In 2017, Kramos coached seven Redbirds to MVC All-Conference honors, totaling eight for the year, which was the third most in program history. She guided Jordan de los Reyes to the top of the ISU record book as one of the best hitters in program history, while the Redbirds led the Valley in runs scored, hits, RBIs and home runs. 

In 2013, Kramos guided the Redbird offense to Valley-best marks in runs per game (5.56), batting average (.287) and on-base percentage (.397), the latter of which was also a single-season program record. The campaign also saw Kay and Jhavon Hamilton culminate their careers after four years of teaching from Kramos. Kay left as the program's all-time RBI leader, with 166, while Hamilton became only the program's fourth member of the 200-hit club, with 206.

Under her guidance in 2011, the Redbirds led the Missouri Valley Conference in nine offensive categories by smashing 70 home runs, the second most in league history, and posting a single-season school record .515 slugging percentage. Kramos coached ISU Athletics Hall of Famer Amber Smith, who owned five of Illinois State's career hitting records before she graduated in 2009, while fellow ISU Hall of Famer Nelson set the ISU single-season marks in hits (90) and runs scored (59) in 2007 and currently owns the school career batting record (.409). 

Kramos led Illinois State to one of the most successful offensive seasons in Missouri Valley Conference history in 2007, when the Redbirds established the league's single-season home run record with 83 round-trippers, 32 more than the previous record of 51. The 2007 Redbirds also set school marks for slugging percentage (.509), runs scored (329), hits (489) and RBI (308).

Before arriving at Illinois State, Kramos coached softball from 1995-97 at Colorado-Colorado Springs before she spent three years on the coaching staff at Nicholls State. 

Prior to her coaching career, Kramos was a member of the Missouri State softball team from 1990-95 and was a two-time All-Valley First-Team selection. A strong hitter and fielder with the Bears, Kramos still ranks first in the MSU annals for assists in a single season (152), and second-most in a career (487). In the batter's box, Kramos produced 94 runs in her four-year MSU career, a mark that stands as the fourth-best all-time in school history. She was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

Kramos has continued her softball career beyond coaching, as she was selected to the Greek National Team in the summer of 2002. Earning multiple championships, Kramos played for the team that won the 2003 European Championship in Italy, while the Greek National Team took second-place honors in 2005 at the European Championships in Prague. She played with the Greek Olympic softball team in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2006 Women's Softball World Championships.

In 2015, she was selected as the head coach for the Greek National Team that competed at the European Championships in Rosemalen, Netherlands. Kramos also played for the East Peoria Avanti's (1995) and Michigan Cruise (1996-2000), with both teams part of the ASA Women's Majors.

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